Vanity fair article
Audrey Hepburn’s ex, director Mel Ferrer, dies
mel ferrer, the tall, darkly handsome top of such standard films as “lili,” “war and peace” and “the odds also rises,” as well as producer and boss of movies starring his then-wife, audrey hepburn, has died at age 90.
ferrer died monday at a santa barbara convalescent home, his son property ferrer told the associated press on tuesday. he had been in failing health for the previous six months and had recently moved to the home from his nearby ranch in carpinteria, his son said.
ferrer’s most affecting film role came in 1953 in “lili.” he played a crippled carnival puppeteer with whom a french orphan (played by leslie caron) falls in love.
he also won deprecating acclaim as luis bello in robert rossen’s 1951 depiction of the public and infantryman life of a bullfighter in “the brave bulls,” based on a tom lea book, and starred vis-?-vis hepburn in 1956’s “war and peace.”
in later years, he turned more to directing and producing to save movies and tv.
“acting, at times, depresses mel,” hepburn once said. “directing lifts him. he’s so insouciant at it that i just conscious it is the job he loves.”
he and hepburn became engaged in 1954 when they appeared together in the redone york play “ondine.” they married later that year in burgenstock, switzerland.
the pair divorced in 1968 and ferrer married his fourth strife, elizabeth soukhotine, in 1971. she survives him.
ferrer and hepburn costarred in a boob tube version of “mayerling,” and ferrer directed hepburn in the 1959 film “green mansions.”
he also produced everyone of hepburn’s greatest film triumphs, 1967’s “wait until dark,” a horrifying thriller in which she portrays a blind woman terrorized by drug dealers who break forth into her home.
born melchor gaston ferrer on aug. 25, 1917, in elberon, n.j., ferrer was the son of a cuban-born doctor and a socialite mother. he grew up in relaxing surroundings, attending private schools and princeton university.
he originally planned to be a writer.
“i don’t conceive of he at any time at the end of the day wanted to be an actor,” his son said tuesday. “he had kind of a astonishing brave and it got him typecast.”
after friendly a playwright’s award in his sophomore year, ferrer communistic princeton to write a novel in mexico. instead he wrote a children’s words, “tito’s hats,” which was published by doubleday.
he vomit up a year as a book editor in unexplored york, then began his acting livelihood as a dancer in broadway musicals. he acted in plays and on radio and directed a hollywood movie, “girl of the limberlost.”
back in new york, he starred in the occupy oneself in “strange fruit,” about a lynching in the south, and directed jose ferrer (no relation) in “cyrano de bergerac.” his first major film role was in 1949’s “lost boundaries,” playing a light-skinned african-american doctor who passed exchange for white in a new hampshire town.
ferrer’s commanding presence and well-modulated voice made him ideal for characters of certitude and resolve. his films included “rancho notorious,” “scaramouche,” “knights of the pull table” (as regent arthur), “born to be bad,” “the longest day,” “the fall of the roman empire,” “the sun also rises,” and “el greco,” which was made in spain with ferrer as co-in and actor in the inscription role.
in all, he appeared in more than 100 films and made-representing-television movies, directed nine films and produced nine more.
ferrer was married and divorced three times before hepburn: to frances pilchard (one daughter); to barbara tripp (a daughter and son); and a remarriage to pilchard.
he is survived by his spouse; his sons, mark, peter, sean and christopher; daughters pepa and mela; and several grandchildren.
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associated press writer john rogers contributed to this story.
(this version corrects that ferrer died at convalescent peaceful and that ferrer’s father was from cuba, not puerto rico.)
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